Final safety inspection begins on Banihal-Katra railway section

NEW DELHI: The final safety inspection has commenced on the newly constructed 111-km-long Banihal-Katra railway section, connecting Jammu to the Kashmir valley, said Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. In a social media post on X, Vaishnaw wrote, “Final stage CRS safety inspection of the USBRL Project commences for Katra-Banihal section”.

According to an official press release from the Ministry of Railways, Jammu and Srinagar will soon be closer as the travel time will be merely three hours and ten minutes. With the commencement of the final safety inspection, 111 km-long Banihal-Katra section in the newly constructed, Jammu division, rail commuters can expect a world-class travel experience on this route from later this year as Jammu station is being redeveloped to equip it with 8 platforms and modern amenities.

Final stage CRS safety inspection of the USBRL Project commences for Katra-Banihal section. pic.twitter.com/tucxeLkIr3

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) January 8, 2025

An 8-coach Jammu Srinagar Vande Bharat Express between Katra to Srinagar will start soon. With this transformation, the long wait for train connectivity between Kashmir Valley and Jammu will be over. The completion of the Banihal-Katra section has been an engineering marvel in which 97 kilometres of length is the tunnel and 7 kilometres of distance is covered by 4 main bridges.

The toughest challenge in the project was to give foundation support to the World’s highest arch bridge (i.e 359 m) on the Chenab River. It was achieved by the rock bolting method using 30,000 tonnes of steel. The other main challenge was to build India’s first cable-stayed bridge on the Anji River. The two other bridges on the section are the Reasi Bridge and the Bakkal Bridges.

While executing the project, railway engineers innovated the technique of Himalayan tunnelling over the conventional tunnelling method to overcome safety concerns and give strength to the main as well as 67 kilometres of escape tunnels. The tunnels have completely ballast-less tracks as is used on the metro tracks with no joints. The longest tunnel in this section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL) project i.e. T50 is 12.77 kilometres long. Cameras are placed at every 50 metres in the tunnels to keep an eye on safety and operational data. These cameras are connected to a state-of-the-art central control room.

Today marked a significant milestone for the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project with the successful final speed trials on the Katra-Banihal section, conducted under the mandatory inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS).

The trials included the… pic.twitter.com/Ykr6Xs0yV0

— Ravneet Singh Bittu (@RavneetBittu) January 8, 2025

Railways have also built 215 kilometres of roads in the region to access the project sites, which is benefiting local people.Jammu-Srinagar Vande Bharat train is specially designed with anti-freezing features. The snow removal train, moving ahead of passenger and freight trains will make sure that trains on this strategic route run all through the year, day and night. This will ensure all-weather connectivity between both regions.

To give passengers a comfortable and safe travel experience, Railways has used Anti-Vibration seismic devices in the project as this region falls in zone-V earthquake vulnerability. These dampers will absorb the tremors in the Himalayan terrain and thus maintain faster and safer travel for commuters.

The Vande Bharat Express running in Kashmir is different from the Vande Bharat Express running across the country. It is specially designed to operate smoothly in extreme cold conditions, i.e. as low as -20°C. To ensure comfort for passengers and drivers, the train is equipped with advanced heating systems.

The driver’s cabin features a heated windshield to prevent it from fogging up or freezing, ensuring clear visibility in extreme temperatures. Further, the train has heating elements in the plumbing and bio-toilets to prevent water from freezing, ensuring that essential systems continue to function during cold weather. (ANI)